Assistance to student refugees in southern Africa

A/RES/38/95

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Assistance to student refugees in southern Africa

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 37/177 of 17 December 1982, in which it, inter alia, requested the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to continue to organize and implement an effective programme of educational and other appropriate assistance for student refugees from Namibia and South Africa who had taken asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General containing the review by the High Commissioner of assistance programmes for student refugees from Namibia and South Africa,

Noting with appreciation that some of the projects recommended in the report on assistance to student refugees in southern Africa have been successfully completed,

Noting with concern the continued influx into Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia of student refugees from South Africa, as well as from Namibia,

Convinced that the discriminatory policies and repressive measures being applied in South Africa and Namibia will lead to a further exodus of student refugees from those countries,

Conscious of the burden placed on the limited financial, material and administrative resources of the host countries by the increasing number of student refugees,

Appreciating the efforts of the host countries to deal with their student refugee populations with the assistance of the international community,

1. Endorses the assessments and recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General and commends him and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for their efforts to mobilize resources and organize the programme of assistance for student refugees in the host countries of southern Africa;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia for granting asylum and making educational and other facilities available to the student refugees in spite of the pressure which the continuing influx of those refugees exerts on facilities in their countries;

3. Also expresses its appreciation to the Governments of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia for the co-operation which they have extended to the Secretary-General and to the High Commissioner on matters concerning the welfare of those refugees;

4. Notes with appreciation the financial and material support provided for the student refugees by Member States, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, other bodies of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations;

5. Requests the Secretary-General, in co-operation with the High Commissioner, to continue to organize and implement an effective programme of educational and other appropriate assistance for student refugees from Namibia and South Africa who have taken asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia;

6. Urges all Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to continue contributing generously to the assistance programmes for student refugees, through financial support of the regular programmes of the High Commissioner, of the projects identified in the report of the Secretary-General and of the projects and programmes, including unfunded projects, to be submitted to the second International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa;

7. Also urges all Member States and all intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist the countries of asylum materially and otherwise to enable them to continue to discharge their humanitarian obligations towards refugees;

8. Appeals to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as other international and non-governmental bodies, to continue providing humanitarian and development assistance to expedite the settlement of student refugees from South Africa who have been granted asylum in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia;

9. Calls upon all agencies and programmes of the United Nations system to continue co-operating with the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner in the implementation of humanitarian programmes of assistance for the student refugees in southern Africa;

10. Requests the High Commissioner, in co-operation with the Secretary-General, to continue to keep the matter under review, to apprise the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1984, of the current status of the programmes and to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session on the implementation of the present resolution.